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When we last saw Karlos Dansby in a Cardinals uniform at University of Phoenix Stadium, he was scoring a game-winning playoff touchdown against the Packers. Now there is a chance he’ll come back to UoP wearing Cardinal red.

Dansby is scheduled to visit the Cards Wednesday, first reported by Mike Jurecki, and, as with any free agent visit, you have to think for a veteran to come out means there could very well be a deal soon. Many have suggested, even before Daryl Washington’s latest issues, that the Cards go after Dansby. I didn’t see it happening. I was wrong. Even if Washington’s problems aren’t the catalyst — you can make the argument the Cards still need depth at linebacker, even with the additions of Jasper Brinkley and Kevin Minter inside — having Dansby come back works on a lot of levels. Fans liked him and he was always productive, even if he is still chasing that elusive first Pro Bowl.

The biggest question, I would think, would be money. Dansby was being paid handsomely in Miami as part of that free-agent contract he got when he left the Cardinals. It was also one of the reasons the Dolphins cut him. As with many veterans out there, though, the free-agent (or cut player) market has become a cold place with fewer options than expected and usually at a much lesser salary. I’m sure Karlos didn’t expect to be available for this long, with relatively few sniffs from teams. And if Washington is in the lineup, I’m not sure how both co-exist on the field at the same time because they play the same position (Don’t forget Washington was drafted specifically to replace Dansby).

Regardless, it’d be interesting for sure to have him return if that were to happen. That possibility, as Dansby always liked to say, that’s huge, man.

— If you want to talk Dansby, or the draft, or whatever, I’ll be hosting a live chat tomorrow on this link here. It’ll start at 1 p.m. Arizona time (4 p.m. EST). Who knows? Maybe Dansby will be a Cardinal by then.

Oh baby. I love “LOS” Didn’t he lead the NFL in tackles last season? I know we have depth at LB position, but some of these guys are a few years away. Sign him for 2 years and develop our draft picks…I’ll be jumping for Joy if Karlos is back in Cardinal red….

If the Cardinals can get Dansby cheap, then it would be a good move. I am more concerned about Washington. His future with the team gets more and more murky. If he’s convicted of assault and has to serve time, then the team has a tough decision to make.

I am guessing Karlos played for our DC in Miami? They will need to sign some one at that spot because you can’t expect Minter to start early in the year and I am guessing knowing the NFL commisioner, DWash will be out for more than 4 games.

(Fixed Version, sorry to post this again Darren on this blog)
Our roster is developing and I think everything that has been made by Bruce Arians and Steve Keim is pretty good so far:
QB: Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Lindley
-This depth at Quarterback is much better than the last 3 years so we are doing good so far. Palmer and Stanton are guaranteed stays. Ryan Lindley is young and is cheap to keep so lets try to develop something out of him for now. QB Brian Hoyer has a huge 2nd round tender just for being a backup so lets try to trade him to the Cleveland Browns and get a 4th Round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. (Projected final QB Roster: Palmer, Stanton, Lindley)
RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Williams, Stepfan Taylor, Andre Ellington, Alfonso Smith, William Powell
-This team wants to start of young and with good experience. William Powell and Alfonso Smith has potential on being a backup RB for this team but I think Bruce Arians wants to work with his own projects and not Whisenhunt’s projects. This is a new era in Arizona and I don’t think Smith and Powell will fit this system. I am a fan of Powell as I saw a lot in him but I don’t think this team will keep him. We drafted nice prospects in Taylor and Ellington and I expect Arians to utilize them to their full extent. Rashard Mendenhall will be nice veteran as he will be the starter and teach Taylor into becoming our future starting running back. Ryan Williams is injury prone and I think he will be competing for a roster spot against Ellington. I think Andre Ellington will win but this team needs to have a 53 man roster and I think he is lucky to have a job here. (Projected final RB Roster: Mendenhall, Taylor, Ellington, Williams)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Andre Roberts, Ryan Swope, LaRon Byrd, Jaron Brown, Dan Buckner, Jarett Dillard, Robert Gill, Javon Lawson, Michael Rios, Tyler Shaw, Kerry Taylor
-This is a no brainer. We have all of these Wide Receivers to fill up our 90 man roster for the offseason. Arians loves his wide receivers and I believe we will have 6 Wide Receivers this year rather than 5. Buckner’s size, speed, and his college years in Arizona will make him the likely 6th and final receiver on this final roster. I expect Floyd to compete with Roberts for the #2 and #3 WR spots and I think Floyd will move to #2 and Roberts loses and goes down to the slot receiver spot. (Projected final WR Roster: Fitzgerald, Floyd, Roberts, Swope, Byrd, Buckner)
TE: Rob Housler, Jeff King, Jim Dray, D.C. Jefferson, Kory Sperry, Alex Gottlieb
-Alex Gottlieb is a nice prospect but does not fit this system. Sperry was just a free agent signing last year that will be released when the 2013 season begins. Jefferson and Dray will be competing for the #3 TE spot. 7th Round Pick Jefferson’s experience as a QB and his ability to play Tight End will make him the likely winner. Dray was a nice special team’s contributor. His experience on this team will make him a contender for the 3rd TE role but Keim & Arians drafted Jefferson for a reason. (Projected final TE Roster: Housler, King, Jefferson)
OL: Levi Brown, Lyle Sendlein, Jonathon Cooper, Daryn Colledge, Bobby Massie, Nate Potter, Earl Wartford, Senio Kelemete, Joe Caprioglio, Paul Fanaika, Mike Gibson, Jamaal Johnson-Webb, Chilo Rachal, Scott Wedige
-Caprioglio, Fanaika, and Webb will try to compete for a roster spot but I don’t think any of them will succeed as we are loaded in Offensive Linemen. Wedige is too inexperienced to play and I believe this team had capable backups that could take play of Sendlein in case of injury such a Kelemete and Colledge with Wartford moving to play in Colledge’s place if Colledge replaced Sendlein for injury. Rachal and Gibson will compete for a roster spot and the likely winner will be Rachal. Wartford has a huge shot on beating out Colledge and becoming the starting left guard. (Projected final OL Roster: Brown, Sendlein, Cooper, Colledge, Massie, Potter, Wartford, Rachal, Kelemete)
DL: Calais Campbell, Darnell Dockett, Dan Williams, Frostee Rucker, Matt Shaughnessy, David Carter, Ricky Lumpkin, Ronald Talley, Everrette Thompson, Padric Scott
-Padric Scott is too short to be an offensive linemen and Everette Thompson does not have the ability to be a huge game changer to this team. Rickley Lumpkin and Talley will compete but whether they compete or not, I don’t expect either one to make the final roster. They have the ability to be last season pickups for this team, we know Talley can be an aggressive pass rusher. Our veterans and our signed veterans will be guys that win the job. (Projected final DL Roster: Campbell, Dockett, Williams, Rucker, Shaughnessy, Carter)
LB: Daryl Washington, Kevin Minter, Sam Acho, Lorenzo Alexander, Jaspar Brinkley, Alex Okafor, O’Brien Schofield, Reggie Walker, Kenny Demens, Tim Fugger, Dan Giordano, Korey Jones, Zack Nash, Colin Parker
-Tim Fugger, Demens, Giordano, and Jones are players that are guaranteed to not make the roster. It is not their talent that is the issue but the fact that we have too many Linebackers already. Zack Nash and Colin Parker will compete and will try to make it in. Parker ends up being the winnerWe are just too filled in the Linebacker position. Daryl Washington’s 4 game suspension hurts but I think we can make things happen without him. (Projected Final LB Roster: Washington, Minter, Acho, Alexander, Brinkley, Okafor, Schofield, Walker, Parker)
CB: Patrick Peterson, Antoine Cason, Jerraud Powers, Jamell Fleming, Justin Bethel, Javier Arenas, Bryan McCann, Josh Hill, Prentiss Waggner
-Bryan McCann and Josh Hill will not make the roster. I think this team is still trying to develop Fleming so I believe he will stick around and with Bethel’s experience at Safety, he will stay as well. We are looking for young players and we got them. Waggner is an interesting prospect so I think he won’t make the cut but will make the practice squad. This team should trade Jamell Fleming to Cleveland as well since he was Ray Horton’s project. We should get back a 5th and 7th Round Pick in return.This team is probably looking to have 5 Cornerbacks again and I don’t think one of our 2012 CB will make the cut: (Projected Final CB Roster: Peterson, Cason, Powers, Arenas, Bethel)
S: Yeremiah Bell, Rashad Johnson, Tyrann Mathieu, Tony Jefferson, Curtis Taylor, Jonathan Amaya, Javon Harris
-Javon Harris is an undrafted free agent that will not make the cut. Jefferson is a nice prospect that this team will try to develop. Bell and Johnson are guaranteed stays. Mathieu is a troubled yet talented player drafted in the 3rd round so he will stay too. Amaya and Taylor will battle it out and I expect this team will continue to have 5 Safeties on the roster. Amaya will win due to his special team’s contribution. (Projected final S Roster: Bell, Johnson, Mathieu, Jefferson, Amaya)
K: Jay Feely
– All said and done no competiton needed. (Projected final K Roster: Feely)
P: Dave Zastudil, Will Batson
-This is not even competition. Batson will likely sign with another team such as the Chargers. (Projected Final P Roster: Zastudil)
-LS: Mike Leach
-No competition, done. (Projected Final LS Roster: Leach)

I’d release washington if he’s convicted. I’d give carlos his number back and appologize for keeping whiz. I might release washington any way. We just don’t have behavior issues on the team. That’s one thing bidwills don’t do.

Had Washington not blown it and not facing additional time this wouldn’t be a topic. However Dansby has been hella productive in Miami and has plenty to offer we need dept. at worst when Washington got black depending on Dansbies productivity he and Brinkley can fight it out.

Washington’s number should be better due to the fact he has a better DLine in front of him than waht Dansby had. More importantly, the Cards offense had no Warner and the defense was on the field onstantly — Washington should hav better numbers — he played much more than Dansby.

Are the Cardinals moving forward or backward? I want a decent season in 2013 with guys on the upswing not has-beens. Dansby and the others mentioned won’t be around to help us in 2014 when the playoffs will be a possibility. Let’s keep the good vibes going and not be tempted by guys no one else wants.

Are the Cardinals moving forward? I would say, they are splashing around a lot but maybe they will do good to just tread water. While I respect BA and many of our coaches for their years of service and knowledge of the league, I find them extrenely rigid and not open to using the strenghts we had on our team and were beginning to turn the corner with. Instead, it’s out with anything Whisenhunt/Graves (except for Fitz) and start ALL OVER from the ground up. Bring back Dansby?, he’s got to be getting kinda up there in years so one has to wonder how his speed is and how effective he will be; to compare him to Washington is laughable,as Darren pointed out they have different skill sets as if age wasn’t glaring. He would be a big mass with a pulse, kinda like Dockett.
We spent a lot of energy and resources in the draft replacing talent we had but elected to cut or let walk because they belonged to the previous era when we could have been using those picks for acquiring strength positions at ILB etc. I can’t imagine Dansby wanting to return to Arizona because he can’t get signed anywhere else, but, I suppose both he and the Cardinals aren’t in any position to be too picky. Both Arians and Whisenhunnt are from that Steeler/Dick LeBeau school and while the names with the HC title may be different, I see more similarities than differences–not really a bad thing!

1. He has an atty. (Chances of an agreed settlement go WAY up right there)

2. He can afford to “threaten’ to go to trial (Trials are expensive and the state will bend over backwards to avoid them).

3. First time offenders get “diverted” rather than punished even in AZ.

4. I seriously doubt any trial would occur prior to the start of the season (any competent atty. can stretch these matters out for ever. (and once the season starts he can legitimately claim to be too busy and a judge will go along with that)

5. CANNOT emphasize the benefit of a private attorney in lowering charges…He will get probation (assuming evidence stands up to scrutiny) and will take classes and upon completion the charges are expunged.

The only reason Dansby left in the first place is money, but the market has helped settle that for us. Why wouldn’t you want him back, even if Washington was good to go. To your point, Darren, I think Minter fits that run stopping, “Thumper” role, so you would not want him and Brinkley both out there at the same time.

Sometimes what we need is a little levity as we embark on a new season, and after years of being the laughing stock of the NFL, I believe that being able to laugh a one’s self and “roll with it” gracefully is more productive than battling closed minded idiots. This post by SB Nation is hilarious and gives a pretty spot on SNL type sketch of the Cardinal free agent recruitment scenario:http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2013/5/8/4310856/2013-nfl-free-agents-karlos-dansby-youre-the-next-free-agent-on-if
The Cards are now in the toughest division in the NFL and any way you cut it, even if we were to finish last in our division, we will still be better than many other teams! Good Luck Cards!

our linebacking core is probably the most solid position on the roster, especially if they sign Dansby. Minter, Brinkley, Washington, Dansby, Schofield, Acho, Alexander. I am probably forgetting other players as well. go cardinals!

Dansby is a no brainer,get him in asap.I think we are in the toughest division
in the league and a guy like Dansby can only help.I think we suprise everybody
with how good we will be this year.I truly believe coach Wiesenhunt rode Kurt Warners coat tails,can’t wait to see what Bruce does with this bunch.

K. Dansby by coming to agreement and bringing him back will be huge… seasoned veteran NFL player, knows the Cardinals organization, knows the energy at UoP Stadium, huge fan favorite, can be a “big brother / mentor / role model ” for several of the young players now in the locker room. Oh by the way only had 134 tackles in Miami last year, he already knows the system Bowles likes to run, as Bowles was his DC in Miami. More positive PR for the team to their fans if signed… how is this not a “win-win” for everybody ! Go Cards …

I’m not sure why everyone is so big on Dansby…the guy left because he wanted more money and wanted out of the desert… He’s also old and even unwanted by the dolphins.. this is like bringing bradley or lenon back…these guys didn’t add much to the roster later on in there career except the huge salery that the were expecting to get. He’s not the same person he used to be and definitely not any younger…We might as well sign B. Wells back incase our other 4 RB’s go down. :roll eyes:

The Arizona Cardinals need LB Karlos Dansby to return. He will be the starter at Middle Linebacker until Daryl Washington returns. Once he returns, we can make Karlos Dansby our backup.
-Think about it, we have Daryl Washington, Sam Acho, Kevin Minter, Jasper Brinkley, Lorenzo Alexander, Alex Okafor, O’Brien Schofield, Reggie Walker, and Zack Nash. (I expect Nash to be gone by the end of preseason so lets not worry about him)
-In a 3-4 defense, we will have 4 Linebackers starting. Sam Acho and Kevin Minter should be day 1 starters in the 2013 season. Lets just pretend that Daryl Washington is starting day 1 as well, then who will be the 4th starting Linebacker? I believe LB Alex Okafor should be that starting Linebacker. Our team needs to get younger with good play making abilities. I would still prefer Alex Okafor playing an Inside Linebacker role. Outside Linebacker doesn’t suite his abilities.
-Starting Defensive Line: Darnell Dockett, Dan Williams, Calais Campbell
-Starting Linebackers: Alex Okafor, Daryl Washington, Kevin Minter, Sam Acho
-Starting Cornerbacks: Antoine Cason, Patrick Peterson
-Starting Safeties: Rashad Johnson, Yeremiah Bell

People saying that Dansby is old should consider that he is the same age as Darnell Dockett (who signed a 4 year extension for $48 million in 2010). Karlos left Arizona to get paid…$42.5 million over 5 years by Miami. When the Dolphins got Ellerbe in free agency ($35 million over 5 years) their payroll was reduced along with the average age of their LBs. Dansby can still play. The only question is whether the Cards can afford him.

They have more than $9M of room. And it doesn’t matter because they aren’t going to give Karlos a giant contract. No one is. He’s not going to get anywhere close to the $6M he was originally scheduled to earn this season.

Definitely a good point about him being a back-up potentially, but he is not going to get the big contract like he wants. He can be had on the somewhat cheap right now, I’m sure. And he can still play.

the sooner we get to the final 90,the sooner we can start to come together and get the feel for the roster,we don’t need anymore distractions,sign him and lets get going,meld the new and the old and see what we got.they need all the time together they can get.

maybe for the 1st time in years we have a chance for a balanced team,just think if our offense plays to the caliber our defense has.

I agree with everything you’re saying, except the part about him being okay with being a back-up. Obviously, that’s a guess on my part but as productive as he was last season, it’s hard to imagine he’d sign anything more than a one-year deal here. Maybe the market will dictate that to be his best course of action, but it seems unlikely.

Hoping he does end up here, as I can’t imagine (realistically) a better second option than him, but not holding my breath. Then again, Keim did get Palmer on the cheap so maybe…

And while Dansby is on his “World tour” of possible signing possibilities, there is still talent that the Cards are missing. The Redskins just signed Center Kevin Matthews (cousin to Clay Matthews) and while we have Lyle Sandelin who has done a good job, what happens if he goes down? What do we have in the way of depth at the line? I would have thought the Cards learned how crucial having a strong line is and the road to the playoffs often comes down to which teams has the best men left standing at the end of the season. Also, while I’m sure the Cards are totally polarized and have been brainwashed by the media, Tim Tebow is still out there and could work into this organization very well. He is a closer, as evidenced by his win against the Steelers while with Denver and he puts bodies in seats, which is the owner’s dream. It should also be noted that Kevin Matthews brother, Jake is projected to be a first round OT in next year’s draft! This latest “development” with Stepfan Taylor is the craziest thing I ever heard of and while it’s the same situation Andrew Luck was in, Taylor wasn’t even a first rounder! *rolls eyes* I’m still trying to wrap my head around us passing on Montee Ball??? And, this is the same guy who says if it were up to him the Cards would have taken Adrian Peterson?

@ berry, Dansby is “only” 31 years old, had 134 tackles last season. has six years of playing for the Cardinals in his back pocket. He tested the FA waters, and got a huge contract from Miami, no shame in that, it’s how the CBA works in the NFL. Now Miami cuts Dansby ( back in March ) and he is a street FA now, as he visits teams interested in him, he will sign where he has the best option to play. I think the Cards would be the front runner, with D. Wash missing at least the first four games, Dansby can come in and start.

Good post, agree we could be near the front (for all the reasons you listed) but he must be factoring in what happens when Washington comes back. Now, if he looks at the Vikings roster, and what they have at MLB, there isn’t much debate about where he plays, regardless.

it would be a nice story if dansby came back,but just like last time,he’s gonna take the best offer “show me the money”,and unless he is considered for a team with a legit superbowl he won’t be taking any discounted contract,just the facts ma’am.

from the radio today, stated that Dansby has had contact from the Jets and Atlanta as well as his visit here with the Cardinals. Jets play a base 3-4 defense but Atlanta is a 4 -3, don’t know if he would fit their system.
With all the LB’s ( along with D-line and all the substutions in the secondary…) that work during a game, it is hard to tell who is a “starter” and who is a “backup” nowadays.

If it comes down to an “either/or” I would take Washington hands down over Dansby any day of the week, baggage and all. Washington has a real career ahead of him while Dansby is an aging prima donna with tude who is all about the money. Washington has had off-field issues but not like some others and many of our “leaders” have had some off field issues in their past that they were able to rise above. If Dansby were willing to accept a one or two year contract as a backup for a reasonable amount of money then I would say “great”. However, I would MUCH RATHER have Kerry Rhodes back at Safety than Dansby, although we would stilll be short an ILB and Tyrann can’t be shuffled into that position. At least Kerry was a major force and consistent playmaker for the defense, while I don’t really remember Dansby being that significant except for his exit and “show me the money” attitude after the SB appearance.